Fanatec Clubsport Shifter SQ review
- Thread starter HoiHman
- 468 comments
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- 1,166
- The Netherlands
- HoiHman
- HoiHman
The sound of the shifter doesn't bother me at all, but i also have 8 buttkickers shaking up my rig
it's just a matter of cranking up the volume
But if you want a super silent shifter, you should pass on this one. I personally like the clacking sound it makes when going into gear
Last edited:
LogiForce
Premium
- 4,078
- Groningen, Netherlands
- LogiForce86
- LogiForce
The problem isn´t me but the neighbours
The neighbours complain when something clicks in your home?
I guess you should try clicking with your tongue for a few hours, see if they come knocking on your door.
In other words, that's pretty crazy to be honest.
The reason why Henk's shifter sounds so loud on video is because he owns a BMW garage and of course a garage and showroom are pretty big rooms with lots of echo/sound bouncing off of the walls.
I am sure you've been in showrooms or garages before, and I am sure you can imagine the 'hall effect' as it is called in Creative's EAX.
Maybe but honestly I think I would get really annoyed with 6h of constant clicking. I have my cockpit in the bedroom and there is just a wall to their bedroom. I have no problem hearing them "working out" so to speak or over hear conversations.
This is one reason I hope mrbasher and john bodin get those new switches out soon
This is one reason I hope mrbasher and john bodin get those new switches out soon
- 3
- Italia
Thanks for the review HoiHman. Just a question, does the rod touches the plate when a gear is in? I hope no. Wouldn't be great to see some scratches already after a few hours of use.
- 42
- East Texas
- Stone775
How long is the longest cable that comes with the shifter? Is it as long or longer than the cable that comes with other Fanatec shifters (the Plastic junkie ones)? if you can reply in inch's or feet I don't know cm/mm and all that......
"-different lengths of cables included"
"-different lengths of cables included"
LogiForce
Premium
- 4,078
- Groningen, Netherlands
- LogiForce86
- LogiForce
Looks to be a cable of 1 meter, so around 3 to 3.5 shoe sizes long. The 3.5 is more like stretching your big toe though. 
Let me tell you a trick for next time. When in google type the following to convert something.
"amount measurement to measurement"
Example:
"10 kilometers to miles"
or
"10 liters to gallons"
or
"60 USD to euro"
or
"50 lbs to kg"
And so on. Anything that can be converted basically.
Let me tell you a trick for next time. When in google type the following to convert something.
"amount measurement to measurement"
Example:
"10 kilometers to miles"
or
"10 liters to gallons"
or
"60 USD to euro"
or
"50 lbs to kg"
And so on. Anything that can be converted basically.
I have to say I'm disappointed to discover you cannot adjust left/right resistance. Sounds pretty obvious to me that was what we were requesting when we were asked for spec, and what we were hoping for after being told the resistance adjustment will be there. This is even more annoying since the resistance seems really light judging by this video.
Beside this, the clicking noise doesn't seem that loud. I would have liked it even more quiet but I should be able to live with the current noise, or make it as quiet as I would like by modding it a bit.
Beside this, the clicking noise doesn't seem that loud. I would have liked it even more quiet but I should be able to live with the current noise, or make it as quiet as I would like by modding it a bit.
- 449
- Toronto
- SignsOfChaos
- SignsOfChaos
The side to side resistance is perfectly fine IMO (better than and not as light as the TH8) and the shift resistance can be dialed in exactly how you like.
For those that want the shifter quieter it would be easy to line the inside of the CSS housing with Dynamat
My post from a few days ago about my CSS SQ:
Finally got my CSS on Tuesday. Had to rework the shifter mount of my Obutto which required moving the seat rail mount as far up as it would go and then cutting off the plate and stalk from the long L shaped pipe it was welded to. The stock Obutto shift mount was not gonna work.....sat way too high for my preference and had too much flex as the CSS is WAY more robust than the TH8 it replaced.
So I get it all hooked up, calibrated and try it with Forza. Elation quickly turns to disappointment as the shifter would not select correct gears once 5th was chosen......in other words it wouldn't come out of 5th during a normal 5-4-3-2-1 gear down unless you went all the way back to the left for 1st or 2nd. It would also incorrectly select 5th when grabbing 3rd often. I figured I messed up during calibration. Redid the calibration numerous times with no improvement so obviously something was wrong with the shifter.
The gear selection process is done by 2 microswitches and a Hall effect sensor combo. The sensor appears to monitor the side to side location of the pivot shaft the stick is mounted on so it knows when the stick is to the left, middle or right. The micros witches are triggered by a cam.......one switch covers R-1-3-5-7.......the other covers 2-4-6. I assumed that since it was getting "stuck" in 5th I assumed the Hall effect sensor was likely dirty as anyone who owns CSP pedals can attest the throttle on the those can act squirrelly if the sensor gets dirty from dust, lint, etc. I used a PC compressed air can to blow the sensor clean, buttoned it back up to give it another go.
Thankfully all is well with the shifter after doing that fix and I've been enjoying quite a bit.
Thoughts:
It's vastly superior to my TH8 in terms of build quality which I got to inspect first hand when I opened it up. It's a clever piece of engineering the way the shifter block was designed and machined (it's CNC'd from a block of aluminum it appears) The pivot shafts are all mounted on sealed ball bearings (4 total) and there is very little use of plastic materials inside.....in other words it's very solidly built. Even the switch plate for sequential mode is quite clever but kept to a minimum of complex parts to increase reliability. As far as reliability is concerned the only thing I can see wearing out or causing issues down the road is the microswitches but given the construction of everything else it should last a long time. I think most who get one will be shocked at just how large and heavy this thing feels when you get it out of it's large box.
I'll never be one to dump on the TH8.....I used mine for over a year and it's been great and I enjoyed it quite a lot but it's low price is reflective of its cheap internal construction and make no mistake....it's built cheaply in terms of its internals. Compared to the CSS it feels like a lightweight toy......the CSS is quite a bit more satisfying to row through the gears and is a lot closer to feeling "real". When I bought my TH8 a year ago I paid around $150 CDN for it with tax and shipping. The CSS cost me quite a bit more at $270 CDN after shipping and duty. Expensive yes but after owning it for several days it's worth it to me. It's also worth noting to that for us Fanatec wheel users the TH8 vs CSS question is a hands down win for the CSS as the price advantage the TH8 enjoys gets largely wiped out with having to buy a $90 BasherBoards SFA1 adapter to make it work. The only items I had to buy to install my shifter were four M6 bolts to secure it to my rig. It came with all the cables required to connect it to any Fanatec wheel and the main cable was long enough to fit my setup and tuck away to be out of sight.
Do I recommend the CSS?
Absolutely.....it's the best H gate shifter currently on the market IMHO.
For those that want the shifter quieter it would be easy to line the inside of the CSS housing with Dynamat
My post from a few days ago about my CSS SQ:
Finally got my CSS on Tuesday. Had to rework the shifter mount of my Obutto which required moving the seat rail mount as far up as it would go and then cutting off the plate and stalk from the long L shaped pipe it was welded to. The stock Obutto shift mount was not gonna work.....sat way too high for my preference and had too much flex as the CSS is WAY more robust than the TH8 it replaced.
So I get it all hooked up, calibrated and try it with Forza. Elation quickly turns to disappointment as the shifter would not select correct gears once 5th was chosen......in other words it wouldn't come out of 5th during a normal 5-4-3-2-1 gear down unless you went all the way back to the left for 1st or 2nd. It would also incorrectly select 5th when grabbing 3rd often. I figured I messed up during calibration. Redid the calibration numerous times with no improvement so obviously something was wrong with the shifter.
The gear selection process is done by 2 microswitches and a Hall effect sensor combo. The sensor appears to monitor the side to side location of the pivot shaft the stick is mounted on so it knows when the stick is to the left, middle or right. The micros witches are triggered by a cam.......one switch covers R-1-3-5-7.......the other covers 2-4-6. I assumed that since it was getting "stuck" in 5th I assumed the Hall effect sensor was likely dirty as anyone who owns CSP pedals can attest the throttle on the those can act squirrelly if the sensor gets dirty from dust, lint, etc. I used a PC compressed air can to blow the sensor clean, buttoned it back up to give it another go.
Thankfully all is well with the shifter after doing that fix and I've been enjoying quite a bit.
Thoughts:
It's vastly superior to my TH8 in terms of build quality which I got to inspect first hand when I opened it up. It's a clever piece of engineering the way the shifter block was designed and machined (it's CNC'd from a block of aluminum it appears) The pivot shafts are all mounted on sealed ball bearings (4 total) and there is very little use of plastic materials inside.....in other words it's very solidly built. Even the switch plate for sequential mode is quite clever but kept to a minimum of complex parts to increase reliability. As far as reliability is concerned the only thing I can see wearing out or causing issues down the road is the microswitches but given the construction of everything else it should last a long time. I think most who get one will be shocked at just how large and heavy this thing feels when you get it out of it's large box.
I'll never be one to dump on the TH8.....I used mine for over a year and it's been great and I enjoyed it quite a lot but it's low price is reflective of its cheap internal construction and make no mistake....it's built cheaply in terms of its internals. Compared to the CSS it feels like a lightweight toy......the CSS is quite a bit more satisfying to row through the gears and is a lot closer to feeling "real". When I bought my TH8 a year ago I paid around $150 CDN for it with tax and shipping. The CSS cost me quite a bit more at $270 CDN after shipping and duty. Expensive yes but after owning it for several days it's worth it to me. It's also worth noting to that for us Fanatec wheel users the TH8 vs CSS question is a hands down win for the CSS as the price advantage the TH8 enjoys gets largely wiped out with having to buy a $90 BasherBoards SFA1 adapter to make it work. The only items I had to buy to install my shifter were four M6 bolts to secure it to my rig. It came with all the cables required to connect it to any Fanatec wheel and the main cable was long enough to fit my setup and tuck away to be out of sight.
Do I recommend the CSS?
Absolutely.....it's the best H gate shifter currently on the market IMHO.
- 77
- 449
- Toronto
- SignsOfChaos
- SignsOfChaos
I ordered very early on when it was offered for pre-order on June 28th.
I got shipping notice on October 22nd
- 77
LogiForce
Premium
- 4,078
- Groningen, Netherlands
- LogiForce86
- LogiForce
LogiForce
Premium
- 4,078
- Groningen, Netherlands
- LogiForce86
- LogiForce
Since I was a week before release I think they are getting closer to having it in stock normally. I don't know how many orders there were after me though.
Also the time depends on if you bought anything else, like the table clamp or usb adapter. If one of those are not in stock it will take longer for your order to be shipped.
- 2,801
- fatkrakr
LogiForce
Premium
- 4,078
- Groningen, Netherlands
- LogiForce86
- LogiForce
I ordered in September and got mine today.
On my box is per chance the airmail sticker of China Southern. They shipped 412 pieces in the last batch to Europe. Which tells me that make about 13 shifters per day for Europe alone, if this is just a 1 month batch. So that's about 1.5 shifters per hour, or 3 every 2 hours. If they work 8 hours a day.
So this means that these shifters are really carefully assembled.
- 1,166
- The Netherlands
- HoiHman
- HoiHman
So Chris, how do you like the CSS now you have tried it a couple of hours ???
As good as you imagined it would be or even better
Somehow i can not help thinking that you have got a "special threatment" since you are a Fanatec driver tester. But who cares, you got your CSS pretty fast
As good as you imagined it would be or even better
Somehow i can not help thinking that you have got a "special threatment" since you are a Fanatec driver tester. But who cares, you got your CSS pretty fast
LogiForce
Premium
- 4,078
- Groningen, Netherlands
- LogiForce86
- LogiForce
So Chris, how do you like the CSS now you have tried it a couple of hours ???
As good as you imagined it would be or even better
Somehow i can not help thinking that you have got a "special threatment" since you are a Fanatec driver tester. But who cares, you got your CSS pretty fast
Love it. Although I really need to adjust to the feel of it, and the wobbly rSeat framework doesn't make my shifts any easier. Still need to try out the SQ mode though.
Still fiddling with the resistance adjustment, but even that works far better than the TH8.
It is better than I imagined. I thought it would be slightly better, but this? No, not even in my wildest dreams. There is no comparison. Everything feels solid, shift solid... etc.
And the mass and size of the thing... I saw the box and I already was amazed by that size, but than getting it out of there and putting it next to the CSW base my only thought was while being amazed "WHAT?!?!?! This really is huge. Did they replicate the entire gearbox or something?".
I really want to look at the internals, but my warranty is more important to me. Curiosity killed the cat and I don't want to be killed.
Really though, with the TH8 I would just flip it from gear to gear but that's something I can't so with the CSS. Well, I can if I lower the resistance but that would be a waste of the feel this thing gives you.
I still suck at shifting in GT6 though. I think I need to fiddle with my clutch resistance so that I properly depress it fully in one go. Although maybe its because my clutch picks up rather high at the moment in the car, its a self adjusting clutch. So its not worn, else I would feel it.
Anyway, this shifter is definitely worth the money. No doubt about it. Love it!
About your suspicion about me being favoured, I am not actively aware of this nor had any correspondence. Armin even said he didn't need me to have the CSS at all, so there was no rush. I did mail Fanatec customer support last week to ask where I was in the queue of pre-orders and if they could estimate when I could expect my shifter. Claudia from Sales than mailed me back they would get a shipment this week. After which I got an official mail saying this, a mail that the order is processed for shipment, a mail from UPS with the tracking code and seeing the UPS guy on my doorstep.
So personally I can't see any special treatment. Unless Claudia did so voluntarily, which I doubt. I at least do not feel guilty as I did not ask for special treatment, but just when I could expect my toy.
- 9
- United States
- GLUTIUS__MAXIMUS
Mine Just arrived today, but I cant get the H pattern to work just SQ. any advice?
LogiForce
Premium
- 4,078
- Groningen, Netherlands
- LogiForce86
- LogiForce
Click your menu button and start at the same time to start the H shifter calibration. Click start after you shifted inthe corresponding position each time. After that it should work.
- 9
- United States
- GLUTIUS__MAXIMUS
